✿ The Reality of Abusive Speech and the Deception of Shayṭān ✿
✍ Compiled by: Dr. Raza Abdullah Pasha ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ Question:
Does Shayṭān instigate abusive language?
✔ Answer:
Yes, absolutely!
Because this is clearly mentioned in authentic Hadiths.
❖ Hadith Example #1: Shayṭān’s Arrival When Abusive Language Is Retaliated
A man was insulting Sayyidunā Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه while the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was also present.
The man abused Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه once, then again, and then a third time.
Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه remained silent the first two times but responded the third time.
At that point, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“كان الملك ينافخ عنك، فلما رددت عليه جاء الشيطان فلم أكن لأجلس”
[Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Ḥadīth 4896]
“O Abū Bakr! An angel was responding on your behalf. But when you replied to him, Shayṭān arrived. Therefore, it was no longer appropriate for me to remain seated.”
Key Point:
➤ As long as Abū Bakr رضي الله عنه remained silent, an angel defended him.
➤ Upon retaliation, Shayṭān entered the scene, leading the Prophet ﷺ to leave.
❖ Hadith Example #2: Shayṭān as the Source of Rage and Insults
Sayyidunā Sulaimān ibn Ṣurad رضي الله عنه narrated:
He was sitting in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ when two men began abusing each other.
One of them became red with rage, and his neck veins became swollen.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“إني لأعلم كلمة لو قالها لذهب عنه ما يجد، لو قال أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم…”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī Ḥadīth 3108 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim Ḥadīth 2610]
“I know a word which, if he says it, his anger will go away —
and that word is ‘Aʿūdhu billāhi min al-shayṭān al-rajīm’.”
When people around told the angry man to repeat this phrase, he replied:
“I am not a madman.”
Key Point:
➤ The Prophet ﷺ explicitly identified Shayṭān as the cause of such rage and abusive behavior.
➤ He also prescribed seeking refuge in Allah as the cure for it.
❖ Final Reflection
These Hadiths clearly affirm that the origin of abusive speech, anger, and retaliatory insults is Shayṭān’s influence.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught that:
➤ Seeking refuge with Allah drives Shayṭān away.
➤ The heart calms, and the flames of anger are extinguished.
➤ The entrance of Shayṭān occurs when one chooses to retaliate instead of showing patience.
